


Doctor's Orders

by babywarg (morphaileffect)



Series: DrPepperony Prompts and Fics [3]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Comedy, Domestic Fluff, F/M, M/M, Other, Romance, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 02:07:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21007937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morphaileffect/pseuds/babywarg
Summary: Pepper is sick in bed. One of her husbands almost makes a mess of her care. Good thing she has another husband, who's an actual doctor and knows how to fix it.





	Doctor's Orders

**Author's Note:**

> From an anon prompt on Tumblr: "so basically sickfic. Stephen and Tony absolutely freaking out over Pepper getting sick or smth and they panic, get a bit too much and hover, but Pepper doesn't mind bc they're usually the ones who get hurt and taken care of anyway so its a nice(?) change of pace. she likes having her boys with her to cuddle when she's feeling horrible even if they have a tendency to overreact sometimes. love your writing btw! and thanks for getting me into this OT3 💖"
> 
> Thank you for the lovely prompt, too, anon! I hope you enjoyed this ♥

Tony had the night shift. But he had an important dinner meeting for Stark Industries, which he was attending on behalf of the CEO, who was on sick leave, so he had to take care of that first.

His big secret was that he had, in fact, skipped that meeting, so that he could take care of the CEO on sick leave.

At home.

Where she was already being cared for by their husband.

Yes, she had enough help. Perhaps the best help in the world.

But right now, there was no other place Tony wanted to be.

His first stop was the kitchen. He took the better part of an hour learning how to make chicken noodle soup from Google, YouTube, and his own intuition.

As soon as he was done, he didn’t even bother tasting it. He walked out of the kitchen with a small bowl and a soup spoon in his hands. If Pepper wanted more, he had a whole pot of it on the stove.

And he walked up to Pepper’s bedroom.

The door was closed, but unlocked, as he expected. He made it a point to knock, all the same.

When he opened the door, he saw that Stephen was there with Pepper, as he expected.

But he was sitting on a chair reading a book. _Reading_.

While their spouse was in bed with her nose bright red, sniffling miserably as she worked through her (fourth? Fifth?) box of tissues for the day.

Tony inwardly seethed. He would have been more attentive. He would have spent all of the day shift with her, if he’d known that Stephen was just going to _sit _uselessly like that. And if only he hadn’t been needed at that damn meeting…

Their jerkwad husband looked up at him lazily.

“You’re early,” Stephen purred with infuriating calm, then glanced at the bowl Tony was holding. “What’s that?”

“Chicken noodle,” Tony jovially answered.

Stephen frowned. “She had chicken noodle soup for lunch,” he disclosed.

“She had _your_ chicken noodle soup for lunch.” Tony tossed his chin up. “Mine’s better. The real deal. This is going to get her off that bed and back in her dancing shoes in no time.”

“She’s _had_ dinner.”

“It’s okay,” Pepper answered weakly, diffusing the tension between her two spouses. “People with flu could always use a bit more liquid, right?”

Tony beamed, and brought the soup over to Pepper. Stephen looked on warily.

Pepper promptly started choking on the first spoonful.

“Is there…_cough syrup_ in this??”

Okay, uh…Tony wasn’t entirely prepared for that reaction.

“It was” - he cleared his throat - "cherry-flavored, not strawberry, I thought it would make a nice…”

“Yeah.” Pepper set the whole kit and caboodle down on the bedstand. “My throat still hurts a little bit, so…”

“I’ll take care of it.” Stephen picked up the bowl and stood. Then, he asked Tony: “Wanna come with?”

“And leave Pep here all alone?” Tony challenged.

“She’s not going anywhere,” Pepper answered, touching his arm reassuringly. “Please go…it would be nice to have a little ‘me’ time. You know. While I’m sick and all.”

Tony softly traced her jawline with the side of his forefinger.

“Back soon, hun,” he said to her.

She smiled up at him, caught his hand and leaned against it for a few seconds.

(Pepper was such a different creature when sick, Tony noted with fondness: in top form, she was always in control. Always so strong, so graceful.

The sight of this baggy-eyed, snot-faced, scraggly-haired, _helpless_ creature was so strange. So compelling. It filled up his heart.)

She let him go. He planted a kiss on her hair before he left.

***

Stephen dumped the soup into the “organic waste” bin as soon as he set foot in the kitchen.

Not only that, he levitated the pot off the stove, and dumped all of its contents into the bin, as well.

“Oh you asshole,” Tony said softly, completely without judgment. Really, he would’ve done the same.

“Okay,” Stephen breathed out, “you only try to cook for either one of us when you’re hiding something upsetting. So spill.”

Tony ignored the “try to” part of the sentence, and instead sputtered, “Something upsetting?? I – you – I don’t – ”

“Let’s try this, for starters,” Stephen impatiently interrupted. “How’d the meeting go?”

Tony found himself tongue-tied. It was those eyes. Those magic eyes. Could see through anything.

“You might as well tell me,” Stephen said in a slightly less hostile tone. “Pep’s going to ask as soon as we get back in that room.”

Goddamn. Those eyes + that voice + that motherfucking _conviction_ got him every time.

Tony fought against the urge to _not_ lie, until a few seconds later, when he well and truly caved.

_“I bailed,”_ he might have said more loudly than he’d intended. “Okay? I pretended I had to use the bathroom, then I snuck out and called an Uber.”

Stephen sighed pityingly (and a little judgingly). “Oh Tony…”

“Meetings are boring as _shit_, Stephen, you know this. And I kept worrying about Pepper all the while.”

Stephen shook his head.

“She’s going to flip,” he warned Tony.

“I _know_ she is, that’s why we’re not going to tell her.” Tony sighed as well, but in exasperation. “By the way, Happy’s going to flip, too; he’s still waiting outside the meeting venue with the car.”

He thought Stephen was going to bombard him with a lecture - wouldn’t be the first time. To be perfectly honest, it was part of why he loved _both_ Pepper and Stephen, Tony told himself: they kept him in line, as best they could.

They didn’t let him spiral out of control.

But instead, Stephen thought for a long second, took a deep breath, then asked, “Is the meeting still going on?”

Tony blinked. “Think so, it’s only been like - an hour and thirty minutes…”

“You just have to be there, right?”

Tony shrugged.

Stephen let a low groan out of his throat, then nodded.

He closed his eyes tightly. Tony felt _something_ happen - but he didn’t know what.

“There,” Stephen presently announced, opening his eyes. “You’re at the meeting, unusually quiet throughout the whole thing…and when the meeting ends, you’re going to say your gracious goodbyes, and climb into Happy’s car - where you’re going to promptly disappear, like the illusion that you are.”

Tony blinked, again.

“Wha–seriously?” _You’re letting me get away with this? And _helping_ me…?_

Stephen smirked. “Do you want me to open a scrying plate over a frying pan so I can show you?”

_Not really, you smug bastard, I trust you,_ Tony thought affectionately.

“No.” He stepped up closed to Stephen. “I already know you’re all sorts of amazing.”

He reached up for a genuinely appreciative kiss, which Stephen returned.

As they broke apart, however, Stephen frowned at him.

“Don’t get used to it,” he warned. “I only did that because I don’t want Pepper to worry. She doesn’t need the stress. If she asks, we’re going to tell her the meeting went great.”

“Absolutely,” Tony said, completely placated.

Stephen smiled, then leaned down for another quick peck.

“Now,” he pronounced, “let’s see to our patient.”

***

When they got back up to the room, Pepper was asleep.

Snoring softly through her half-open mouth and clogged nostrils.

“First time she’s slept all day,” Stephen pointed out.

“Probably because you hovered the entire time,” Tony countered.

Stephen glared at him. “Excuse you, I am a _doctor_,” he snapped. “I _monitor_, I do not _hover_.”

Tony snorted, then moved toward the bed.

Stephen’s eyebrows shot up. “And what do you think you’re doing?”

“I skipped out on a big meeting so I can cuddle with my sick wife,” he whispered over his shoulder. “It’s gonna happen.”

Despite Stephen’s objections, Tony slid into bed beside Pepper. As careful as he was, his movements woke her up.

“Hi,” she greeted, as if he had just come home. “How was the meeting?”

Stephen stared at Tony. Tony ignored him.

“It went great, honey,” he answered, wrapping an arm around her. “That contract is in the bag.”

“That’s wonderful,” she said weakly, still sniffling. She cuddled up close to him. “You’re wonderful.”

Tony beamed. Watching his two most beloved people embracing so fondly, Stephen couldn’t help but smile.

“Stephen’s wonderful, too,” Pepper remembered to say. “Got me everything I needed, without leaving my side all day.”

“Not even to cook that famous chicken noodle soup of his?” Tony joked.

“What can I say? I’m an expert in being in more than one place at a time,” Stephen answered, with a sharp and knowing look that promptly shut Tony up.

Pepper motioned to Stephen, then to the empty side of the bed. Stephen knew what that meant.

Gently, he lowered himself down beside Pepper. Warm and snug between the two men she loved, Pepper drew out a contented sigh.

“You two are so good to me,” she murmured.

“Well, you’re good to us, love,” Tony replied. “When we’re sick, you’re the one who looks after us. We’re just returning the favor.”

She chuckled softly. “Should be sick more often, I think…”

“You better not be,” Stephen whispered sternly. “Either of you. Doctor’s orders.”

“And miss out on all this attention, Doc?” Pepper leaned the side of her head against his. “Wait…it’s getting late. And Tony’s home. Isn’t it time you went back to the Sanctum?”

Stephen hesitated. “I…think I’d like to stay like this a bit longer. If that’s okay.”

Tony snorted. “Course it’s all right, dummy. You can stay all night, if you want.”

“Mm,” Stephen said, snuggling up closer to Pepper, so that his hand met Tony’s across her warm body. “I just might take you up on that.”


End file.
